Newsletter

Effingham Sheriff urges public to be safe this July 4 holiday

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office is reminding the public that Georgia law bans the possession and use of fireworks.

“The Georgia legislature has defined illegal fireworks as any object that propels itself or a projectile – such as bottle rockets and roman candles - and any item that produces a report (“bang”) – such as firecrackers and bottle rockets,” Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said. “Generally, any type of sparkler, sparkling shower, and whirling shower items are permitted under Georgia law.”

Ehsanipoor said the sheriff’s office would also like to remind the public to not use gunfire to celebrate the holiday.

“Stray bullets can be deadly,” Ehsanipoor said.

The county has seen several instances of residents being struck by stray bullets in the last few years, including an Ellabell woman who was hit by a stray bullet last year while walking in her yard and a man who was shot in the leg when a bullet went through the roof of his home on New Year’s Eve in 2010.

The Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement Team will also be out participating in Operation Zero Tolerance focusing on removing impaired drivers off of the roadways.